One Advanced Postdoctoral Contract ERC Advanced Grant Polmag

The Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC, Tenerife, Spain) invites applications for one postdoctoral contract co-funded by the IAC and the European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grant project “Polarized Radiation Diagnostics for Exploring the Magnetism of the Outer Solar Atmosphere” (POLMAG), led by Prof. Javier Trujillo Bueno.  

The IAC is a Public Consortium and a Severo Ochoa Center of Excellence doing research on the following areas of astrophysics: solar physics, planetary systems, stellar and interstellar physics, galactic formation and evolution, cosmology and astroparticles, as well as on development of instrumentation. Further information about the IAC's research programme is available at http://www.iac.es/. The appointed candidate will benefit from the research environment at the IAC, which hosts one of the largest and most active Solar Physics groups in Europe. The group covers theory, numerical modeling, observations and instrumental development, and is seriously involved on the development of novel international projects such as the EST (European Solar Telescope) and CLASP (Chromospheric LAyer SpectroPolarimeter).

Duties: The selected candidate will have the following roles and responsibilities:

• To develop advanced radiative transfer codes for computing the intensity and polarization of spectral lines, taking into account partial frequency redistribution (PRD) phenomena, J-state interference and the joint action of the Hanle and Zeeman effects in realistic atomic and atmospheric models.

• To apply such codes to investigate the diagnostic potential of spectropolarimetry in ultraviolet lines as a tool to explore the magnetism of the upper solar chromosphere and transition region.

• To contribute to the development of the “Polarized Radiation Diagnostics Website”, in collaboration with the PI and the other POLMAG scientists.

• To help with the coordination of the theoretical developments needed for the success of the CLASP project, as well as with the representation of the IAC team at the international level.

• Co-advisor of at least one of the PhD theses of the POLMAG students.

• Co-Chair of the POLMAG international workshop foreseen for 2020

• To work on the development of the POLMAG theoretical and observational research activities

• Technical-economic management of the corresponding project work packages, as well as elaboration of reports of progress, justification, etc., to the financing entity, in coordination with the PI and the personnel involved in project management.

• To contribute to the public outreach activities of the POLMAG project, including the regular update of its webpage.

• During the last year of the contract, the selected scientist and the PI will review all the results of the project and plan new presentations at the most relevant international meetings of the year. In addition, the pending publications will be completed and new objectives and collaborations will be established to give continuity to the research line of the POLMAG project.

Expertise in the following topics is key for this position:

• The quantum theory of spectral line polarization.

• The generation and transfer of polarized radiation taking into account J-state interference and PRD phenomena in complex atomic models, including advanced numerical methods of solution

• Coding with compiled languages and parallel computing.

• Realistic 3D radiative transfer simulations with massively parallel supercomputers.

• Realistic numerical modeling of the polarization produced by optical pumping and the Hanle and Zeeman effects in spectral lines, with emphasis on the Mg II h & k resonance lines.

Position requirements: The candidates must have undertaken novel research developments and hold promise to become a leading researcher in the field of solar physics in the coming years.

Qualification requirements: To be eligible for admission, applicants must have completed a Ph.D. degree in Astrophysics or Physics, within the application deadline (31st August, 2017). A copy of your degree or corresponding stamped certificate (issued on behalf of the University where you have obtained the degree), must be included. If the applicants has not completed the Ph.D. degree within the application deadline, will not be considered.

Training: Those candidates who have done their PhD research at the IAC must have undertaken a period of training at other research centres. This period must consist of either one continuous year or 18 accumulated months (including periods of training during their doctoral period).

Remuneration: The gross annual salary will be 39,622.26 Euros, plus the annual residence allowance (2,099.91 Euros). The contract includes medical insurance under the Spanish National Health Service, which will also cover the registered partner (de facto partner) and children (if relevant).

Research travel funds: The contract includes all the travel expenses needed for the successful development of the project (meetings, workshops, observations, collaborations, etc.).

Relocation allowance: This call includes a relocation allowance only for the selected candidate comprising: the cost of your flight ticket (booked and issued by the IAC), your stay for up to two weeks (organised by the IAC) and per diem rate up to two weeks. The maximum IAC will reimburse is 2,000 Euros.

Non-UE citizens: If you are citizen of a country not belonging to the European Union, you can apply for this position, but if selected, you will not be allowed to sign the contract with the IAC until you obtain the compulsory documentation required to live and work in Spain (NIE card). 

How to apply: use the online application system, http://www.iac.es/jobs/research/advancedpolmag2017, including the required information and documents. Alternatively, follow the instructions in the official announcement (only in Spanish).

The required documentation must be submitted using the online application system and received by the application deadline: 31st August, 2017, 23:59h (Canarian Local Time, same as London). The CV, publication list, summary of research experience and suitability for the job, copy of your Ph.D. degree and copy of your National Identity Card or passport, must be converted into a single PDF file.

In addition, the names and e-mails of three scientists familiar with the work of the candidate must be indicated.

Late applications or those which do not include the mandatory application form (Annex I), will not be considered for admission.  Incomplete applications will have a period of five (5) days, starting from the day after publication of the provisional list of accepted and excluded candidates, to provide missing documentation.

Contact: For scientific enquiries please contact Javier Trujillo Bueno ([email protected]).